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21
Sept
Crooked accountant who fleeced vulnerable Harrogate man of his £500,000 home gets jail sentence increase
A former accountant, already imprisoned for five years, has been jailed for a further five years for failing to pay a Proceeds of Crime Confiscation Order.
Sukhdev Singh, 78, of Chelwood Drive, Leeds, was originally sentenced in 2022 to more than five years' imprisonment after fraudulently acquiring a Harrogate man’s £500,000 home and taking £34,000 of his savings.
Singh also attempted to gain control of a property the victim, who has significant disabilities and a learning age of 12, owned in Spain.
Singh had been a business associate of the victim’s father in the 1980s, and re-contacted him after his parents had died, offering his help.
A subsequent Proceeds of Crime Act investigation by North Yorkshire Police found Singh had benefited from criminal conduct totalling £1.19 million and had assets valued at £490,284.98.
On August 25, 2025, a Proceeds of Crime Order was made at York Crown Court, ordering Singh to pay the £490,284.98 available amount within three months or face a further five-year prison term.
Despite unsuccessful appeals and repeated extensions, Singh made no payment towards the order. At Leeds Magistrates' Court on August 27, 2026, he again refused to accept responsibility for his criminal offending or to pay the confiscation order amount.
As a result, the Court activated the five-year default sentence and Singh was returned to prison.
The victim died this year, before receiving the compensation he was due from the confiscation proceedings. His estate is expected to receive the funds once they are recovered.
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